This is a skill-based & level-based game. Each character has a total of 1000 skill points. Stats are raised as levels are gained. The top proficiency of any skill is Grand Master. There is no means to become more than this. However it is not necessary to gain GM status in any skill in order for it to work effectively.

You are not limited by the race of your character. Such things are purely for appearance only. Of course there might be certain latent advantages for each race choice.

There are several beginning professions yet it is not necessary for you to stay stuck or typecast as that class. You may evolve your character as you wish, fully customizing their abilities to your liking. A warrior may be allowed to excel at healing or offensive magic. Unlike other games, it is not necessary for you to form a group to adventure the lands if you do not wish to. You may be self-sufficent.

The available races are Elves, Men, Dwarves. There are several kinds of Men, each with a different skin hue. Elves come in Light & Dark varieties. Dwarves are just dwarves. Light Elves are more proficent in beneficial magics while Dark Elves are more offensive in nature. Men & Dwarves may use magic but will not have as highmana. Dwarves are stronger than men or elves but have less stamina for long treks in the wild; they aren't sprinters. Additionally dwarves have an advantage in scaling mountains or being beneath the ground. There are no playable “orcs” or “green skins” in this game.

You can play the game to be good or evil but such choices don't limit your abilities.

Not all monsters or creatures carry money as loot. Only humanoid who might have had use for money as living creatures will give gold as loot. Yet critters will give hides which can be sold to merchants.

Certain unlawful people's body parts might be collected & given up for bounties. A thief's hand may be given up or a murderer's head.

A possible incentive to commit heinous acts is that the Murderer/ Criminal will become more proficent in the Magic of the Wicked (MotW). A Neutral Character at most will be allowed to Summon an Imp. A Heinous Character will be allowed to Summon a Demon. The more Evil their orientation, the more Demons that they may Summon. Conversely a character with a good reputation is more proficent in casting spells of healing or the Magic of the Just (MotJ).

Note on PVP: There will be both Consentual (Duels) & Non-Consentual PVP in the wild. In cities guards patrol so you risk being arrested & losing several turns if you create a ruckus in a town. Only a substantial bribe (loss of loot PLUS maybe an “uber” weapon or piece of armor) will get you out of jail.

Some stats will be lowered by a prison stay. Players who commit criminal acts will be perma flagged as criminal for their entire game play duration unless a Magistrate gives an official Pardon. Murderers are not allowed in town & thus will not be allowed to shop for goods. Another player must consent to provide them goods or they may loot other players.

Consentual PVP:
If two players Consent to a Duel, niether character is allowed to post a Bounty on the other's head and the winner if he kills his opponent will not accumulate a Murder Point. However if one or more players “gank” (surprise attack) another PC & kill them, they each get a Murder Point (a “Murd”).

Non-Consentual PVP:
The Lands of the Sacred Gems are an inhospitable place where nearly anything can happen. Towns & other settlements have been built to house the common folk & through a strict system of law the peace is kept. No one knows if a monarchy still rules but the town guards still take up their posts. It is only in a town where you may purchase supplies for your journey or to store your goods in a bank box. Auctions also take place in town.

Wandering outside of towns are criminals of many types & names as well as some foolhardy adventurers. Beware because there is no guaranteed safety in the wild. The magics that once enforced peace in this world have faded away. Be aware that you don't just have to worry about monsters in this game. You can also be attacked by murderers or stolen from by thieves! Tread not lighltly in this world for those who do are soon to perish.

Any how... if two players Consent to a Duel, niether character is allowed to post a Bounty on the other's head and the winner if he kills his opponent will not accumulate a Murder Point. However if one or more players “gank” (surprise attack) another PC & kill them, they each get a Murder Point.

A possible incentive to commit heinous acts is that the Murderer/ Criminal will become more proficent in the Dark Arts. A Neutral Character at most will be allowed to Summon an Imp. A Heinous Character will be allowed to Summon a Demon. The more Evil their orientation, the more Demons that they may Summon.

Playing a Murderer:
Like in actual real life, there are punishments for taking another's life. Since Free Accounts to this game only allow one Player Character (PC) per player bear in mind you will be shunned by those who live in cities & you must purchase your goods on a black market or from other players. Keep in mind that once you willfully slay another PC, you will become an outlaw & anyone who aids you will also be branded as such. Unlike other games, you won't be able to create an alternate characterwho is innocent to do the bidding of your primary villain character. If you want to walk the path of the Wicked & reach maximum proficency in MotW, then feel free to be as vile as you want. This is not a path of the timid!

A Murder Point (a “Murd”) is automatically awarded to any PC who slays another PC without the other's consent. You cannot force an opponent to say “Yes” to a duel if they don't want to. Each accumulated Murd will give the PC +15 proficency in MotW. Each unlawful act (stealing or non-fatally wounding a PC against their consent) will result in +5 proficency in MotW. Casting low-level MotW spell results in +1 raise in proficency for every ten spell casts.

Playing the Hero:
Doing good in this game has its advantages. Healing another player is considered an act of kindness. Gifting another player (as long as that player is not an outlaw) without money given in return is also an act of kindness. The more substantial the gift, the better the reward. Helping another to slay a monster & allowing the other player to have a share of or all of the loot is an act of kindness.

Each good deed done results in a higher proficency in Magic of the Just (MotJ). The better you are at MotJ, the higher damage from spells you can cast. If you act saintly enough, you may even be allowed to fully heal yourself or others from near-death. 60 proficency in MotJ allows you to Resurrect (RES) a fallen comrade from death & heal them up to 25% of health. 80 percent proficency in MotJ allows you to res a fallen comrade from death & heal them up to 75% health. Complete Sainthood (as Grand Mastery of MotJ is called) results in resing a fallen comrade to full health.

But don't think only Saints can bring back the fallen in this game! If resed by a practicer of the MotW, the PC will become an undead creature. The undead will slowly lose Health Points (HP) unless they are Blessed back to the living by a Saint. (Anyone with atleast one Murd point is immune to Blessing.)

The Role of Death:
Should you be slain in battle against a monster or at the hands of another PC, some of your possessions become lootable but not all. The primary attacker gets one “Uber” weapon or piece of armor off your corpse of their choice (provided they roll a high enough number to get it before the Grim Reaper claims your remains) plus all monetary gold you were carrying. Silver Doweries are not to be looted.

There are three paths toward resurection. The first is to be resed by a Saint to rejoin the living. The second is to be resed by a Sinner to become a member of the Undead. A third is to bribe the Grim Reaper. The Grim Reaper collects rare coins (Silver Doweries) that are occassionally lootable from monster corpses of a certain type or that can be exchanged for a certain amount of regular money at a bank. Each Silver Dowery is worth 15 gold pieces. The Grim Reaper will accept atleasttwo Silver Doweries as a sign of good faith.

If a player doesn't wish to be resed immediately they may elect to play as a ghost. There is no penalty for being a ghost. All Ghosts are granted immediate mastery in Stealth. They may not attack or steal from other players while incorpreal but can haunt a rival. Haunting a rival results in one-time small loss of stats from their character which is only temporary. Meaning they will momentary lose some confidence & become slightly less efficent. There will be a -2 point deduction from their Attack Damage rolls or Healing Attempt rolls or Magic Attack Attempt rolls. This deduction will last for one minute after a haunting attempt.

You may haunt a PC who has slain or stolen from your character as often as you'd like but not consecutively. You may only haunt an innocent player once per death.

Should you become resed in some way, you will be revived with the following variations of health if certain contingencies are met:
l 25% health if resed by someone with 60% MotJ.
l 25% health plus become undead if resed by someone with 60% MotW. (Your HP will slowly deteriorate almost as if you were poisoned while you are undead.)
l 25% health if you bribe the Grim Reaper with 2 Silver Doweries. (He gives you the option of being undead upon being resed or becoming a living soul.)
l 75% health if resed by someone with 80% MotJ.
l 75% health if resed by plus become undead someone with 80% MotW. (Your HP will slowly deteriorate almost as if you were poisoned while you are undead.)
l 75% health if you you bribe the Grim Reaper with 6 Silver Doweries. (He gives you the option of being undead upon being resed or becoming a living soul.)
l 100% health if resed by a Saint.
l 100% health plus become undead if resed by a Sinner. (Your HP will slowly deteriorate almost as if you were poisoned while you are undead.)
l 100% health if you bribe the Grim Reaper with 12 Silver Doweries. (He gives you the option of being undead upon being resed or becoming a living soul.)

How to Play the Game:

Game Mechanics of Legend of the Sacred Stones:
Players may print out official maps or create their own. Maps can be drawn on graph paper. The environment can be dungeons or caves, mountains, forests, or “man-made” structures.

There’s two styles of play: Campaigns or Competitions. Campaigns take players on adventures that can be single-player in nature or have groups of players fighting monsters (PVM). Competitions have players fighting against other players. Competitions or “duels” need not use the map mechanic. There may also be Hybrid Matches where a group of people sit at a table. Encounters between characters on the map could be cause for duels or alliances.

Tools used:

A.) Marker: There are no official figurines in the game. A player can elect to use any small collectible toy or marker (such as Army Men or Cowboys & Indians OR even by poker chips or even bingo chips) to represent their character or monster placement on the map. Monsters may be visible on the field (represented by a figurine) or hidden if playing with a Game Master. The Game Master will alert players if they have encountered a monster on the field once they move on a square.

B.) Map representing the current playing environment. (Optional)

C.) Dice: has several uses listed below.

D.) Calculator: each player may use one to keep track of any math equations needed for the game.

E.) Monster Cards: May be printed off the official website. There will be no “packs” of cards to be collected just to play the game.

F.) Hero Cards: Customizable representation of the player’s character. Drawn by individual player using characteristics outlined by “Hero Card” Rules.

G.) Ability Cards: Spells, Physical Attacks, Ranged Attacks. What Abilities you have depends on many factors. Factors like whether or not your class is a magic-type, what you are equipped with, and your race.

The Use of Dice:

Varies damage dealth for Attack Damage for Melee or Missile Attacks. The higher the roll, the more points of damage.

Varies damage dealt for Mattack Attack Attempts. The higher the roll, the more points of damage.

Varies damage healed from Healing Attempts. The higher the roll, the more points of damage healed.

Chances of Special Ability succeding with the higher the toss in a special ability attempt.

Whose turn it is when starting a game.

PC's with a propensity to have high rolls will get more monster encounters.

Roll for movement. The higher the roll the more squares they may advance. (Players mounted on a horse will have +5 added to their roll's total.)

NO need for special dice to be used. Regular game dice is adequate.

Mounted or Unmounted:
Players have two options in this game when it comes to traversing the land: walking or riding a horse. There will be a taming skill for certain normally DomesticedAnimals such as horses. If met on the the field, a player can tame a horse. If succesful the horse will give the player a movement bonus of +5 squares for as long as he is mounted. Horses may also be bought at a stable. Another bonus is that you will be better able to attack flying monsters if you are mounted.

There is a difference between tamed horses or bought horses. A horse tamed by a player with low taming ability will be partially loyal to its rider if he is the same person who tamed it. If the player has high taming ability, then the horse will be more loyal to him. The loyalty of a bought horse does not raise. If you encounter a monster or other attacker while mounted, your bought horse will rear & toss you off, running away. A bought horse will also refuse to walk in a dungeon or haunted castle or any other place where a large grouping of monsters spawn.

Horse Loyalty Chart:
l 0 loyalty for bought horse.
l 25% loyalty for the rider if the rider is a PC with 25% taming ability. Horse is ¼ as likely to runaway. (Roll to see if the horse spooks upon a monster encounter.)
l 50% loyalty for the rider if the rider is a PC with 50% taming ability. Horse is ½ as likely to runaway. (Roll to see if the horse spooks upon a monster encounter.)
l 100% loyalty for the rider if the rider is a PC with 100% taming ability. Horse NEVER runsaway yet may still be slain by attackers.

Hero Cards:
A.) Players pick their own names.
B.) Stats.
l Health Points
l Mana Pool
l Dexterity
l Skills Slots.
l AR = Armor Rating
l EM WK = Elemental Weaknesses.
l Loot that they have which other players gain from their defeat in a duel. (All money your character is carrying may be looted.) If vanquished in a duel, the player must give up one special item to the primary attacker.

Basic Notations:
l Deeper the dungeon, the stronger the monsters will be. LV 10 dungeons will have more powerful monsters than LV 1 dungeons. (Old Rules)
l Altars: stonger monsters might congregate around these. Sort of like a Champ Spawn in UO. Probably don't want these because it would bring on “camping” gameplay style from players.
l Some monsters are more aggro to certain PC's meaning the player with the most initiative will encounter this type of monster.
l Two PC's with the same initiative must roll to see how goes first on a turn. This might result in shocking the monster into losing its turn.
l Thief/ Rogue class is allowed side-attacks.

Note on PVP: There will be both Consentual (Duels) & Non-Consentual PVP in the wild. In cities guards patrol so you risk being arrested & losing several turns if you create a ruckus in a town. Only a substantial bribe (loss of loot PLUS maybe an “uber” weapon or piece of armor) will get you out of jail. Some stats will be lowered by a prison stay. Players who commit criminal acts will be perma flagged as criminal for their entire game play duration unless a Magistrate gives an official Pardon. Murderers are not allowed in town & thus wil not be allowed to shop for goods. Another player must consent to provide them goods or they may loot other players.

Dragons may not be tamed or summoned. At most a PC may entice a dragon (if it is on the field) to attack an opponent by smearing blood on them or throwing a dragon egg to be shattered near the victim. Doing so is not considered a Murder technically YET the offending party gains Criminal Status.

Unlike Japanese RPGs, there will be no random monster encounters on the field. So you won't get attacked at every fifth step by something invisible. The Dungeon Master (DM) will be granted a seperate map or may be allowed to plot coordinates where monsters will be placed should the players elect for invisible monsters that will not be displayed on the field. I guess I'm saying is unlike their system, there will be more method to monster placement.

Player Character Weaknesses:

In this example, the PC is facing South.

Back.
Right hand <<< >>> Left hand
Front.

Characters may be left or right handed. (A rightie holds his shield in his left hand, a leftie in his right hand. A rightie holds his sword or other one-handed weapon in his right hadn, a leftie with a weapon in his left hand.) Warriors have Battle Instinct this means several things but in this example it means that if they are attacked from behind or either side they have quicker reflex to turn to their attacker than a non-warrior. If attacked from the side or behind, the player only loses one turn to their surprise attacker.

Meaning the order of action is: Attack, PC taking full damage on first blow, the PC automatically turns to face attacker during his turn, second attack from Attacker is halved, then the PC may retaliate.

With a non-warrior, they must manually elect to turn about (taking up a turn) --- OR use an Area of Affect spell which will activate on their second turn. If they elect to turn about, the Attacker may inflict FULL damage on their second attack OR (if they are a thief/ rogue character) elect to use their turn to SNEAK around their victim while they are dazed. Sneak Attacks also lose half their damage, but may continue to Daze their victim. So it is smart for a Mage to cast an Area of Affect spell to cancel out the Daze. Dark Arts Mages will inflict damage with the spell, Light Arts Mages will blind their Attackers long enough for them to retaliate. (May need revision.)

Okay as stated above, a Thief/ Rogue may continually Sneak Attack their victim. A PC without these qualities will simply trip or perhaps fall, resulting in the loss of one or several turns if they attempt a Sneak Attack. Also, another skill for this type of PC is to steal (if they approach the victim from behind) or go for a lesser Incapatictating Blow. An Inc Blow will disable either the victim's Sheild or Weapon hand momentarily. A thief will not be allowed to Daze their opponent if they elect for a Stealing attempt. A dice will be rolled to see if the Stealing attempt is succesful. If succesful or not succesful it is still recommended for a thief to run during their next turn. If they don't then they will be Dazed instead by the victim.

Archers or users of other long-range weapon/ magic users will be allowed to attack a total of six squares away from their current position. Their attack is line-of-sight for either the same elevation or a different elevation. The further away the victim the less damage given. Projectiles or spells may not pass through tall walls but you can shoot across a pit or a body of water. A mage's spell is not affected by wind direction. Yet a Missile of any kind is affected by the wind. Obviously the closer they are to their victim the more damage given. (A range of 1-3 squares is full damage, 3 or 4 is half-damage, plus 5 or 6 is ¼ damage.)

Net or bolo: deals a long-range Dazing Blow resulting in the victim losing one turn. A net must be cut off by the victim or a victim's ally using a sharp tool.

Bomb or cannon ball.

Environmental Characteristics:

Light: whether it is night out or day or if you are in a cave without a torch. Holding a torch sacrifices the use of a shield OR bow. However if the archer is in a cave & their victim is holding a torch, they may attack them while staying momentarily hidden.

Wind: Archers or Missile users only need worry about this. The Game Master (GM) will decide which way the wind blows to aid or hinder the accuracy of the shot. This is done with a dice roll. Possible results of the roll are towards or away from the PC.

Elevation: Standing on a hill or on a raised platform or even perched on a tree. If in a dungeon or other multi-tiered place (like a castle) you cannot attack through a ceiling or a floor.

Smoke or Fog or other inclimate weather: the GM may elect to instruct the players that weather is causing poor visibility. Poor visibility impairs long-range attacks.

A note on Caves or Dungeons or other places where it may be dark: players carrying a torch will have an advantage of seeing possible traps in the cave such as a pit as well as any other PC holding a torch. PCs not using a torch will be rendered invisible to their non-elven victims YET will be more prone to stepping on a trap. Humanoid monsters carry torches & thus are visible. Inhuman monsters are rendered invisible to non-elven eyes. Elves can see in the dark without aid of a torch but their vision is slightly impaired. So an elven archer attacking a PC who isn't carrying a torch will have their maximum range shortened to 4. An non-elven archer may only attack a PC who is holding a torch & will also have their maximum range shortened to 4.

Definitions:
An Assassin is a skilled fighter who, like the ninja relies on stealth & speed to sneak up on targets, usually with a poisoner at hand. However his or her face-to-face melee skills are beneath that of other fighters. If you don't dispatch of your target while it is unawares, then your assasin is food. In addition, his or her morale & overall bravery comes into question so your character might have a higher miss rate while also having a penalty to direct combat damage. Carry a lot of smoke bombs!
An Animal Tamer is skilled in getting neutrally aligned or benevolent creatures to do his or her bidding. Monsters such as and especially dragons will ignore such dallying.
An Acolyte is a missionary-minded fellow who is pious and puts other character's wellbeing ahead of his or her own well-being. A natural healer.
A Barbaric Marauder fights every battle with an extreme blood-lust. He is ignorant of magic or pretty much any other goal than to cover his weapon with the blood of his enemies. Once incited, the Barbaric Marauder will go into a frenzy for attack and might even refuse its player's commands to retreat or move in any direction but towards the thick of the battle field.
A Bard is a natural story-teller and might use his instruments to charm monsters into not attacking himself or his party members. He has an advantage over the Animal Tamer in that monsters will temporarily do his bidding yet they won't remain in his thrall for longer than a limited time.
A Battle Mage is skilled in low-to-medium magical abilities, is proficent with some weapons, and is capable of wearing heavier armor than the regular magic user without being distracted or having an encumberance penalty.
A Bounty Hunter is fueled by the goal of getting money at any cost. He is a composite fighter yet can be bribed by other players to do whatever they wish as long as the bounty hunter perceives a hint of profit. Not as wayward as Barbaric Marauder, but can be nearly as stubborn.
A Changling has trouble making up his or her mind what specialty to use so he or she has the unique capability to temporarily use whatever professional skills he or she chooses for a short period of time. Since he or she is just experimenting, skill used will only gain 1/3 the skill gains of someone dedicated to a single class. This character's other drawback is absent-mindedness. Your character might be stricken with amnesia and struggle to remember how exactly to do something no matter how often the character does this task. Occasional rolls of the dice for rememberance will be necessary for anyone choosing this character. Changlings are also masters of disquise so it can never be completely clear for certain what his or her actual appearance IS or what race this character is.
A Mage is a specialty spellcasting character who fights using magic above all other skills. He or she isn't very dextrous but does heavy damage. Sub-classes of mages include necromancers or illusionists. As long as it is spell and doesn't involve holding an object heavier than a spell book or wearing something ridiculous like a set of armor, then the mage is all for it.
A Martial Artist is skilled in unarmed combat. He knows how to grapple with pretty much any foe, human or monster. Has innate ability to percieve the weaknesses of monsters that get in his way. Also may use agility to move about even the most treacherous lands with ease with hardly a scratch.
A Master of Trades is a merchant. This character gains the most wealth from encounters because he or she is shifty enough to convince other characters to give him or her a percentage of the loot. More useful than that is the fact that the Master of Trades is the most proficent at creating weapons or armor or creating non-combatant items. Expect to bribe the Bounty Hunters to do your bidding.

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